Method and apparatus for forming multiple panel shapes

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for forming more than one shape in a material wherein a first group of pairs of opposed rollers are arranged to impart a first shape to the material and a second group of pairs of opposed rollers following the first group are arranged to impart a second shape to the first-shaped material. One roller or each pair of the second group being readily releasable and conjointly movable away from the other associated roller of each pair to a non-shaping position to alternately form only the first shape or the first and second shapes in the material. A roller bending arrangement at the inlet end bends the material with a coil set against the coil set to a substantially flattened condition prior to contact with the first and second groups of rollers to reduce the tendency thereof to buckle or ripple during the shaping thereof.

United States Patent [191 Knudson METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING MULTIPLE PANEL SHAPES [76] Inventor: Gary A. Knudson, 7485 Upham Ct.,

Arvada, Colo. 80002 22 Filed: Aug. 3, 1972' 211 App]. No.: 277,519

Primary Examiner-Milton S. Mehr Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ancel W. Lewis, Jr.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A method and apparatus for forming more than one shape in a material wherein a first group of pairs of opposed rollers are arranged to impart a first shape to the material and a second group of pairs of opposed rollers following the first group are arranged to impart a second shape to the first-shaped material. One roller or each pair of the second group being readily releasable and conjointly movable away from the other associated roller of each pair to a non-shaping position to alternately form only the first shape or the first and second shapes in the material. A roller bending arrangement at the inlet end bends the material with a coil set against the coil set to a substantially flattened condition prior to contact with the first and second groups of rollers to reduce the tendency thereof to buckle or ripple during the shaping thereof.

11 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHB 12 Ian I llh H il METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING MULTIPLE PANEL SHAPES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to shaping of generally flat material into a desired transverse crosssectional configuration by roll-forming a material and is specifically adapted for the forming of sheet metal or the like into building siding panels and the like having more than one desired transverse cross-sectional shape.

With the increased building activity in recent years, there has been a demand for building siding panels and particularly those made from aluminum, and painted or galvanized sheet metal as distinguished from wood or pressed board.

In my earlier US. Pat. No. 3,529,961 there is disclosed a method and machine for forming similar types of materials into generally Ushaped gutters and the like. As in forming a U-shaped gutter, a strip of sheet metal tends to buckle, stretch or ripple when improper techniques are used to bend the material along a side edge over relatively shortstretches of shaping, and care must be taken to avoid such a result. As with my above mentioned machine in the building trade today, it is highly desirable to be able to provide a compact efficient machine for shaping building panels at the job site.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for making building siding panels and like shaped members characterized by being sufficiently compact so as to be capable of being readily transported to the job site.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel method and apparatus for forming material into siding panel or the like having a quick change over feature whereby more than one shape of siding panel or the like may be formed in a single machine.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a novel method and apparatus having a bending arrangement at the feed inlet whichbends the material with a coil set against the coil set to a substantially flattened condition prior to roll-forming into eitherv of the two desired'shapes to minimize the tendency of the material to ripple, buckle and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention in preferred embodiments shown there is provided two alternative bending arrangements at the inlet end for removing or substantially eliminating the coil 'set in a roll of sheet metal prior to roll-forming to avoid rippling, buckling or the like during roll-forming. The apparatus includes a first group of pairs of rollers arranged to impart a first shape to the material and a second group of pairs of rollers following the first group to impart a second panel shape to the first-shaped material. One lower roller of each pair of the second group is readily releasable and conjointly movable to drop down away from the associated upper roller to a non-shaping position by mounting all of the lowerrollers of each pair of the second group in common opposed side support members releasable secured to the housing by removable pins whereby a panel with either the first or the first and second shape may be formed by positioning the side supportmembers relative to the housing.

Other objects, advantages "and capabilities of the present'invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view showing the general arrangement of parts of a single machine for forming two different types of building siding panels;

FIG. 1A is an alternative form of bending arrangement for the coil set of the material for the machine in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the machine of FIG. 1 with the feed assembly removed for clarity;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view showing the shaping rollers at station 1 as viewed from the front or material intake end;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the shaping rollers ,at station 2.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the shaping rollers at station 3.

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the shaping rollers at station 4.

FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of the shaping rollers at station 5.

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the shaping rollers at station 6.

FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of the shaping rollers at station 7.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of rollers at station FIG. 11 is a vertical transverse cross-sectional view taken through the machine forwardly of the shaping rollers at station 9 with some of the parts broken away to show the interior construction.

FIG. 12 isa front elevation view showing the shaping rollers at station It), W v

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary elevation view of a flange squaring assembly.

Referring now to the drawings, in the roll-forming machine shown there is provided support structure in the form of a generally rectangular shaped housing 11 including a bottom plate 12, a pair of opposed side plates 13 and 14, a front end plate 15 and a rear end plate '16 together with cross-connecting spacer rods 17 extending between the side plates.

In describing the specific embodiment herein chosen for illustrating the invention, certain terminology is used for convenience which will be recognized as being employed for convenience and have no limiting significance. For example the terms from refers to the intake end where the shaping of the material begins and the term rear to the end wherethe shaped material is discharged. The terms left andright refer to directions with reference to the drawings with the operator at the front intake end thereof.

Inside the housing 11 there are mounted for rotation a group of seven pairs of opposed shaping rollers arranged at spaced intervals along a horizontal course collectively designated A. The pairs of opposed rollers in group A proceeding from the front end toward the rear end are a first pair 21 and 22 at station 1, a second pair 23 and 24 at station 2, a third pair 25 and 26 at station 3, a further pair 27 and 28 at station 4, a fifth pair 29 and.31 at station 5, a sixth pair 32 and 33 at station 6, and a seventh pair 34 and 35 at station 7. There is also a second group of three pairs of opposed shaping rollers following the first group A arranged at spaced intervals along a'horizontal course in the same plane as group A which are collectively designated B. The rollers in group B proceeding from the intake end are a first pair 36 and 37 at station 8, a second apir 38 and 29 at station 9 and a third or last pair 41 at station 10. The rollers of each pair are arranged as an upper roller and a lower roller disposed in close proximity to one another with sufficient clearance to pass the material as it is being shaped.

All of the shaping rollers have a central rotary support shaft with extensions beyond the ends of the material contacting portions thereof, the shaft extensions being supported in opposed roller bearings. All of the upper rollers, both groups A and B are rotatably supported at opposite ends in roller bearings designated 43 (FIG. 11) suitably mounted in a pair of opposed upper support bars or members 44 which extend along the inside of the opposed side plates 13 and 14 and are suitably affixed thereto. The lower rollers of group A are rotatably supported in roller bearings, similar to bearings 43 but are not shown in detail, disposed in a pair of opposed lower front support members 47. Lower front support members 47 extend along the inside of an associated side plate and are spaced above an associated corner bar 49 secured at a lower corner formed by the bottom plate 12 and side plates 13 and 14. The lower rollers of group B are rotatably supported in roller bearings 50 mounted in a pair of opposed lower rear support members 51.

A pair of opposed top pressure bars 55 are mounted on the inside of the housing 11 above the upper support members 44 and have a plurality of lift screws 57 arranged at spaced intervals along the pressure bars 55 rearwardly of each pair of rollers and along both sides. The lift screws 57 thread down into internal threads in the upper support members 45 to raise and lower the upper rollers. In a like manner, a plurality of pressure screws 58 are arranged at spaced intervals along the pressure bars 55 above the ends of each roller which thread down against the top surface of the upper support members 44 to force the upper roller of each pair down against the lower roller to adjust the spacing between roller pairs and to adjust the pressure and accomodate different material thicknesses.

For a quick changeover for forming one type of panel or the other, the rear lower support members 51 are releasably supported in place on the housing in both side plates. Pins 61 extend through aligned apertures in each of the side plates and the rear lower support members 51. The pins 61 have an outer head portion, an externally threaded intermediate portion designated 61a which threads into a nut section 62 secured on the outer face of the side plate and an inner smooth pin portion. In this way the lower rollers of group B may be positioned either to form the material into a shaped panel S which is shaped by both of the rollers of groups A and B or be released and dropped by removing the pins to a retracted, non-shaping position displaced a sufficient distance from the associated upper rollers of group B so that the siding panel P formed by the rollers of group A will pass between the rollers of group B without altering the shape thereof thereby affording a quick change over feature to form more tahn one panel shape. In the retracted, non-shaping position the rear lower support members 51 and 52 rest on the comer bars 49. Then when it is desired to form a panel with shape S the lower side support members 51 are raised, the apertures aligned and the pins 61 reinserted into the position shown.

The shaping rollers of group A have an external contour or shape for roll-forming the material 12 (FIG. 1) which is presented to the first group as a substantial strip of flat sheet into a preferred shape of siding panel designated P (FIG. 9). Briefly, the pairs of opposed rollers of group A are successively shaped along the left side end portion looking toward the front end to gradually form a hook 65 at one edge of the material forming the bottom edge of the panel and to form along the other edge a channel 66 while the intermediate face portion 67 of the panel is given a slight concave shape.

In general, the rollers of group A have an intermediate roller portion C shaped to progressively form the concave shape in the face of the panel, a roller end portion D to progressively form the hook 65 and roller end portion E shaped to progressively form the channel 66. More specifically proceeding now from the front end toward the rear end of the intermediate roller portions C of the first four pairs of opposed rollers are straight or flat and the next three intermediate roller portions have the convex shape on the upper roller and a concave shape on the lower roller with each successive roller having a more pronounced curvature to progressively impart a concave curvature to the outer face portion 67 of the siding panel. The end portions D of the first three pairs of rollers have an upper roller with an outwardly narrowing taper and a lower roller with a complementary outwardly diverging flare to first form a crease line 68 inwardly from one side edge of the strip and turn the a section outside the crease line progressively up at an angle. In turn, the end portions D of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh pairs of rollers first turn the a section of the panel at a right angle and then progressively fold it back along the panel until it is turned a full 180 to form the hook 65 which is completed at the seventh station or last pair of rollers in group A.

Turning now to the end portion E, the first two pairs of rollers of group A have the upper roller with an outwardly diverging flare and the lower roller with a comlementary outwardly narrowing taper to form a first crease line 69 inwardly from the other side edge of the material and turn a right side section of the material outside the crease line down at an angle. The end portions of the third pairs of rollers turns the side edge at a right angle to form the outer flange 66a. The end portion E of the fourth set of rollers has an upper roller 27 with an outwardly diverging flare which forms a second crease line 71 inwardly a selected distance from the first crease line 69 and the fifth upper rollers have an end portion E with a sharper outwardly divergent flare to turn a second section between crease lines 69 and 71 down to approach a right angle with the face of the shaped panel.

Referring now to the rollers of group B, the intermediate portion of these rollers designated C are shaped so that the upper rollers have a centrally disposed step at an angle to the axis thereof with a complementary reversely inclined step in the lower roller which first forms a pair of spaced crease line 74 and 75 in a central section of the siding panel. The angles of inclination of the step are increased on the second pair of rollers 38 and 39 and the third pair have portions normal to the roller axis to form a right angle step designated 76 in the face of the finished panel S.

The material 12 being shaped to form building siding panel by the above described shaping rollers is a relatively light gage sheet metal preferably furnished in a coil and shown mounted on a reel-type roll or drum 81, the drum having shaft extensions 82 supported on a pair of uprights 83 with V-shaped slots at the upper ends to receive the shaft extensions, the uprights 83 being mounted on the opposite sides of the housing at the intake end to provide an arbor on which the coiled material will unwind as it is being drawn by the abovedescribed pairs of shaping rollers. The sheet metal furnished in a coil has a pronounced curvature along its length or coil set. It has been found that any tendency on the part of the material to ripple or buckle can be eliminated by first removing the coil set before rollforming. To this end, the coiled strip material is arranged so that the drum 81 is located forwardly and above a bending roller 85 supported at the front end of the housing, so as to rotate freely. The strip of coiled material 12 passes downwardly and rearwardly from the drum 81 around the bending roller 85 and then forwardly through a pair of opposed side entry guides 86 and 87, respectively, mounted in the housing ahead of the shaping rollers. The entry guides 86 and 87 are mounted on a pair of spaced, externally threaded, transverse guide support rods 88 and are held thereon by lock nuts 89. Each of the entry guides have spaced upper and lower horizontal disposed lip portions which guide the strip of material into the shaping rollers. With this feed arrangement the outer face of the coiled material comes into engagement with the bending roller 85 which bends the material against the coil set or reverses the coil set or curvature so that the material is in a substantially flattened condition prior to being contacted by the shaping rollers. Again this method of bending the coiled material has been found to be highly effective in reducing the tendency of having the strip material unduly deform, ripple or buckle when it subse quently passes through the pairs of opposed shaping rollers.

An alternative bending arrangement for removing the coil set in the material is shown in FIG. 1A wherein the drum 81 with coiled material is located forwardly of the front feed end of the housing and the material extends rearwardly over an upper roller 90 and then back forwardly around the bending roller 85 so that the strip material is wound around roller 90, and back around bending roller 85 before entering the first set of shaping rollers 21 and 22. This bending arrangement removes the coil set for those instances where the coil of material is not supported by the housing but is on a support surface ahead of the front end thereof.

The motive power for the shaping rollers is a single electric gear motor 91 mounted on a base 92 attached to the side of the housing which is coupled via a power transmission arrangement including a main drive shaft 93 to drive all of the rollers except roller 22 which is an idler. As best seen in FIG. 11 with the exception of the first pair of rollers 21 and 22, each of the upper roller has an upper gear 95 meshing with a lower gear 96 secured on the lower roller shaft to transmit power thereto. Each upper roller further has an inner sprocket 97 and an outer sprocket 98 mounted on one shaft extension and affixed thereto. The succeeding upper rollers are coupled together in a driven relationship with one of the sprockets being coupled by a chain 99 to the next successive sprocket on the next upper roller. The

chain 99 extends alternately between the outer sprockets and then the inner sprockets with the shaft of the first upper roller 21 and the shaft of the last upper roller 41 carrying only an outer sprocket 98. The electric power to the gear motor 91 is controlled by a switch 100 mounted at the rear discharge end of the housing,

the switch being electrically wired to the motor using conventional motor control circuitry.

In the preferred embodiment shown there is further provided two similar flange squaring assemblies designated 101 utilized between stations 5 and 6 and between stations 6 and 7 to further shape the inside corner of the flange 66 of the building siding panel into a right angle. Each flange squaring assembly 101 comprises a base plate 102 fastened to the side plate 14 and extending in wardly thereof between side plates 13 and 14. An upright shaft 103 mounted on the base plate 102 has a beveled surface on which there is mounted a beveled roller 104 inclined at an angle to the horizontal which engages the inside corner of the building siding panel. Another horizontally disposed roller 105 is mounted on shaft 103 above the base plate which engages the outer face of the flange 66. A pair of rollers 106 and 107 are mounted on a shaft 108 and rotates about a horizontal axis above the outer face of the panel and above the beveled roller in engagement with the panel on the face opposite roller 106 whereby to ensure a right angle for flange 66 relative to the outer face of the panel. The shaft 103 has a flat sided lower end portion (not shown) which fits in a lateral slot in the base plate 102 to prevent its rotation relative to the base plate.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that changes in details of structure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for forming material into more than one desired shape, the combination comprising:

a plurality of pairs of opposed shaping rollers arranged at spaced intervals along a preselected course and supported for rotary movement, said first group of said pairs of rollers being shaped to impart a first shape to the material upon being progressively passed between successive pairs thereof and a second group of said pairs. of rollers succeeding said first group being shaped to impart a second shape to the first-shaped material upon being progressively passed between successive pairs thereof, one roller of each pair of said second group of pairs of rollers being at a substantially common plane conjoined with one another and being readily releasable and movable conjointly away from the other associated roller of each pair of said second group to a retracted, non-shaping position to allow the material with the first shape to pass between the opposed rollers of each pair of the second group without altering the shape thereof whereby to alternately form the first and second shapes in the material or only the first shape in the material.

2. In apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the said one roller of each pair of the second group is a lower roller which drops down from an associated upper roller to the non-shaping position.

3. In apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein the one roller of each pair of said second group is mounted on a pair of opposed side support members common to all of the said one rollers for a conjoint dropping movement thereof relative to the support structure, the side support members being releasably fastened to the support structure.

4. In apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein the releasable fastening for the one roller of the second group includes a plurality of pin members arranged at spaced intervals along the support structure, the pin members being releasably inserted through aligned apertures in the side support members and the support structure.

5. In apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including means for continuously feeding the material with a coil set and bending means at the inlet end for bending the material to substantially remove the coil set therein prior to entry between said opposed shaping rollers.

6. In apparatus for forming a coiled material with a coil set into more than one desired shape, the combination comprising:

support structure means;

bending means supported by the support structure means for bending the coiled material as it unrolls from the coil against the coil set to a substantially flattened condition,

a first group of pairs of opposed shaping rollers supported for rotary movement on the support structure means, said first group of pairs of rollers being shaped to impart a first shape to the material upon being progressively passed between successive pairs thereof;

a second group of pairs of opposed shaping rollers shaped to impart a second shape to the first-shaped material upon being passed between successive pairs thereof; and

a pair of opposed support members supporting the ends of a plurality of rollers of said second group to move said plurality of the lower rollers of the second group between an upper operative position and a lower retracted position spaced from the other associated roller of each pair of said second group to allow the material with the first shape to pass between the opposed rollers of each pair of the second group without altering the shape thereof whereby to alternately form the first and second shapes in the material or only the first shape in the material.

7. In apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said bending means includes a bending roller positioned adjacent the inlet end of the shaping rollers arranged so that the material passes in a reverse direction away from the shaping rollers back around the bending roller and then passes toward the shaping rollers to bend against the coil set in the material.

8. In apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said bending means includes a first bending roller positioned adjacent the inlet end of the shaping rollers and a second bending roller above the first bending roller, the bending rollers being arranged so that the coiled material passes around the second roller and reverses back around the first roller and again reverses toward the shaping rollers to bend against the coil set in the material.

9. In a roll-forming apparatus for forming building siding and the like, the combination comprising:

a strip of sheet material wound in a coil on a drum with a coil set in the material, the drum being supported for rotary movement to pay out the material,

a housing of generally rectangular form having a bottom plate, opposed side plates and a top plate;

bending means supported by the housing for bending the coiled material as it unrolls from the drum against the coil set to a substantially flattened condition,

a first group of pairs of opposed shaping rollers supported for rotary movement on the support structure means, said first group of pairs of rollers being shaped to impart a first shape to the material upon being progressively passed between successive pairs thereof;

a second group of pairs of opposed shaping rollers shaped to impart a second shape to the first-shaped material upon being passed between successive pairs thereof; and

each said pair of rollers being arranged as an upper roller and a lower roller,

a pair of opposed support members rotatably supporting the ends of a plurality of the lower rollers an upper operative shaping position and lower retracted non-shaping position spaced apart from an upper associated roller of each pair of said second group to allow the material with the first shape to pass between the opposed rollers of each pair of the second group without altering the shape thereof whereby to alternately form the first and second shapes in the material or only the first shape in the material;

pin-like members arranged at spaced intervals along said housing adapted to extend through the side plates and into the opposed support members to releasably hold the lower rollers of the second group in the operative shaping position; and

motive power means coupled to the rollers of said first and second groups with the rollers being coupled to one another in a power transmission train whereby at least some of the upper and lower rollers are driven to draw the material therethrough to shapethe material.

10. In a method of forming a material into a desired shape wherein there is provided a plurality of pairs of opposed shaping rollers arranged at spaced intervals along a preselected course, the steps of:

passing the material between a first group of the pairs of opposed rollers shaped to progressively impart a first shape to the material;

passing the material between a second group of pairs of rollers shaped to progressively impart a second shape to the material, and;

alternately conjointly positioning a plurality of conjointly movable pairs of rollers of said second group arranged at a substantially common plane in a shaping position or a retracted non-shaping position relative to associated opposed rollers of the second group which allows the first shape to pass without being altered in shape to form either the first and second shapes in the material or only the first shape in the material.

11. In a method of forming a material as set forth in claim 10 wherein said material is wound in a coil and has a coil set, the further steps comprising:

bending the material against the coil set to change it to a substantially flattened condition prior to passing it into the shaping rollers. 

1. In apparatus for forming material into more than one desired shape, the combination comprising: a plurality of pairs of opposed shaping rollers arranged at spaced intervals along a preselected course and supported for rotary movement, said first group of said pairs of rollers being shaped to impart a first shape to the material upon being progressively passed between successive pairs thereof and a second group of said pairs of rollers succeeding said first group being shaped to impart a second shape to the first-shaped material upon being progressively passed between successive pairs thereof, one roller of each pair of said second group of pairs of rollers being at a substantially common plane conjoined with one another and being readily releasable and movable conjointly away from the other associated roller of each pair of said second group to a retracted, non-shaping position to allow the material with the first shape to pass between the opposed rollers of each pair of the second group without altering the shape thereof whereby to alternately form the first and second shapes in the material or only the first shape in the material.
 2. In apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the said one roller of each pair of the second group is a lower roller which drops down from an associated upper roller to the non-shaping position.
 3. In apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein the one roller of each pair of said second group is mounted on a pair of opposed side support members common to all of the said one rollers for a conjoint dropping movement thereof relative to the support structure, the side support members being releasably fastened to the support structure.
 4. In apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein the releasable fastening for the one roller of the second group includes a plurality of pin members arranged at spaced intervals along the support structure, the pin members being releasably inserted through aligned apertures in the side support members and the support structure.
 5. In apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including means for continuously feeding the material with a coil set and bending means at the inlet end for bending the material to substantially remove the coil set therein prior to entry between said opposed shaping rollers.
 6. In apparatus for forming a coiled material with a coil set into more than one desired shape, the combination comprising: support structure means; bending means supported by the support structure means for bending the coiled material as it unrolls from the coil against the coil set to a substantially flattened condition, a first group of pairs of opposed shaping rollers supported for rotary movement on the support structure means, said first group of pairs of rollers being shaped to impart a first shape to the material upon being progressively passed between successive pairs thereof; a second group of pairs of opposed shaping rollers shaped to impart a second shape to the first-shaped material upon being passed between successive pairs thereof; and a pair of opposed support members supporting the ends of a plurality of rollers of said second group to move said plurality of the lower rollers of the second group between an upper operative position and a lower retracted position spaced from the other associated roller of each pair of said second group to allow the material with the first shape to pass between the opposed rollers of each pair of the second group without altering the shape thereof whereby to alternately form the first and second shapes in the material or only the first shape in the material.
 7. In apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said bending means includes a bending roller positioned adjacent the inlet end of the shaping Rollers arranged so that the material passes in a reverse direction away from the shaping rollers back around the bending roller and then passes toward the shaping rollers to bend against the coil set in the material.
 8. In apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said bending means includes a first bending roller positioned adjacent the inlet end of the shaping rollers and a second bending roller above the first bending roller, the bending rollers being arranged so that the coiled material passes around the second roller and reverses back around the first roller and again reverses toward the shaping rollers to bend against the coil set in the material.
 9. In a roll-forming apparatus for forming building siding and the like, the combination comprising: a strip of sheet material wound in a coil on a drum with a coil set in the material, the drum being supported for rotary movement to pay out the material, a housing of generally rectangular form having a bottom plate, opposed side plates and a top plate; bending means supported by the housing for bending the coiled material as it unrolls from the drum against the coil set to a substantially flattened condition, a first group of pairs of opposed shaping rollers supported for rotary movement on the support structure means, said first group of pairs of rollers being shaped to impart a first shape to the material upon being progressively passed between successive pairs thereof; a second group of pairs of opposed shaping rollers shaped to impart a second shape to the first-shaped material upon being passed between successive pairs thereof; and each said pair of rollers being arranged as an upper roller and a lower roller, a pair of opposed support members rotatably supporting the ends of a plurality of the lower rollers an upper operative shaping position and lower retracted non-shaping position spaced apart from an upper associated roller of each pair of said second group to allow the material with the first shape to pass between the opposed rollers of each pair of the second group without altering the shape thereof whereby to alternately form the first and second shapes in the material or only the first shape in the material; pin-like members arranged at spaced intervals along said housing adapted to extend through the side plates and into the opposed support members to releasably hold the lower rollers of the second group in the operative shaping position; and motive power means coupled to the rollers of said first and second groups with the rollers being coupled to one another in a power transmission train whereby at least some of the upper and lower rollers are driven to draw the material therethrough to shape the material.
 10. In a method of forming a material into a desired shape wherein there is provided a plurality of pairs of opposed shaping rollers arranged at spaced intervals along a preselected course, the steps of: passing the material between a first group of the pairs of opposed rollers shaped to progressively impart a first shape to the material; passing the material between a second group of pairs of rollers shaped to progressively impart a second shape to the material, and; alternately conjointly positioning a plurality of conjointly movable pairs of rollers of said second group arranged at a substantially common plane in a shaping position or a retracted non-shaping position relative to associated opposed rollers of the second group which allows the first shape to pass without being altered in shape to form either the first and second shapes in the material or only the first shape in the material.
 11. In a method of forming a material as set forth in claim 10 wherein said material is wound in a coil and has a coil set, the further steps comprising: bending the material against the coil set to change it to a substantially flattened condition prior to passing it into the shaping rollers. 